The CBC comedian laments the "new normal in Canada -- the never ending campaign" that he was hoping would disappear after the Tories won their majority. No such luck: "Welcome to hell."

But with a little more than three years left in office, Mercer wonders why the Tories are bothering to attack the leader of the third party in the Commons at all. A Conservative friend had an answer.

“Why not? We’ve got so much money we could buy every ad available in a seven-game playoff series and the Olympics, and we’d still have more money left over than all the parties combined.”

And there's the rub. We've gone American. Politics controlled by cash and elections plagued by dirty tricks have become the new norm. Except where they have checks and balances, we have practically unfettered power. Like he said, "Welcome to hell."